MOLECULAR IMPRINTING APPROACH FOR THE RECOGNITION OF ADENINE IN AQUEOUS-MEDIUM AND HYDROLYSIS OF ADENOSINE 5'-TRIPHOSPHATE

Polymers capable of recognizing adenine in aqueous medium were develop ed by the molecular imprinting technique using methacrylic acid and 4( 5)-vinylimidazole as comonomers with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross-linking agent under different polymerization conditions. Th e affinity of these polymers for adenine and other nucleotide bases wa s compared. The association constant for the binding of adenine to the polymer is calculated to be 4.3 x 10(3) M(-1). Furthermore, binding o f adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) to the polymers was evaluated, and a n enhanced binding compared to adenine was observed. The binding of AT P is pH dependent, with the maximum around pH 3. Results have been exp lained based on the hydrogen bonding and ionic interactions between AT P and the ligands on the polymer matrix. The catalytic effect of these polymers for the hydrolysis of ATP is briefly discussed.